Eritrea and Gambia Establish Diplomatic Ties

ERITREA · THE GAMBIA · DIPLOMACY

Eritrea, a country on the Red Sea, and The Gambia, a small country in West Africa, signed a joint statement in New York on Friday 23 October that makes them formal diplomatic partners.

Eritrea and The Gambia established diplomatic relations on Friday 23 October 2026, when their ambassadors to the United Nations signed a joint communiqué in New York. Eritrea’s Ministry of Information announced the step on Saturday 24 October, and its text is so far the only public account.

For a reader outside Africa, it matters because Eritrea is in a sharp dispute with its neighbour Ethiopia and has just added a partner far from the Horn of Africa. It also matters because citizens of both countries face United States entry limits, which touches travellers, students and families in the American diaspora.

What Happened in New York

The communiqué was signed on Friday 23 October by Sophia Tesfamariam, Eritrea’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, and Lamin Dibba, The Gambia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations. Eritrea’s Ministry of Information published the news on its website, Shabait, with an Asmara dateline of Saturday 24 October.

The text calls the step an important move in strengthening ties between the two countries. It says the relations rest on “mutual respect for sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, and the principles and purposes of the Charter of the United Nations.”

Both governments name political affairs, trade, economic development and culture as areas where they want to cooperate. The announcement carries no quotes from officials, no names of future ambassadors and no dates for opening embassies.

Dibba is a former Gambian minister of environment, climate change and natural resources, a post he held from 2017 to 2022. A United Nations press biography filed in 2022 says he then presented his credentials as ambassador to Secretary-General António Guterres.

Eritrea Has Used the Same Route Before

Eritrea has set up relations at the United Nations in New York before. On Tuesday 11 May 2021 its ambassador, Sophia Tesfamariam Yohannes, signed a joint communiqué with the Commonwealth of Dominica at that country’s UN mission, Shabait reported.

On Friday 11 July 2025 she signed another with Uzbekistan’s UN envoy, Ulugbek Lapasov, the Uzbek outlet Kun.uz reported. Each time the step was a signing between UN envoys, not a summit or a state visit.

Kun.uz described Eritrea as the 161st country with which Uzbekistan has formal relations, and said Eritrea’s UN mission in New York made the first announcement. Tesfamariam also signed the Gambian text, so the same envoy has now put her name to all three agreements.

Eritrea’s Foreign Minister Osman Saleh set out the line behind this in an address for United Nations Day in Asmara, dated Friday 23 October, the same day as the signing. He said that “sovereignty, national independence, and self-reliance remain the bedrock of our national identity,” while Eritrea “recognizes the vital importance of constructive, principled international engagement.”

Why the Timing Matters in the Horn of Africa

The signing comes about three weeks after relations between Eritrea and its neighbour Ethiopia broke down. On Thursday 1 October 2026 Ethiopia’s foreign ministry closed its embassy in Asmara and ordered 10 Eritrean diplomats out within 48 hours, the Ethiopian outlet Addis Insight reported.

Eritrea answered the same day, saying on X that it had “no option but to reciprocate in kind and sever all diplomatic ties with Ethiopia,” Al Jazeera reported. The African Union Commission asked Ethiopia, Eritrea and Egypt on 1 October for “maximum restraint.”

On Tuesday 13 October Eritrea circulated a note to United Nations Security Council members that accuses Ethiopia of an “unprovoked war agenda” against it, Shabait said. Ethiopia’s foreign ministry has made its own charge of “direct and indirect acts of hostility and belligerence” by Eritrea, so both accounts are claims by the governments involved.

Neither government has linked the Gambia communiqué to that dispute, and the published text does not mention Ethiopia. Any reading beyond that is interpretation, not a stated fact.

What It Means for US Readers

The two countries sit on different levels of the US entry-restriction list, which matters to families, students and travellers. Under Presidential Proclamation 10998, signed on Tuesday 16 December 2025 and in force since 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time on Thursday 1 January 2026, Eritrea remains among the countries whose nationals are fully suspended from entering the United States, a status that began under Proclamation 10949 of Wednesday 4 June 2025.

The Gambia is on the partial list, which suspends entry for its nationals as immigrants and on B-1, B-2, F, M and J visas. The proclamation exempts green-card holders and some diplomatic and international-organisation visas, and it cites Gambian visa-overstay rates of 12.70 percent for visitor visas and 38.79 percent for student, vocational and exchange visas.

The second US link is sanctions. On Friday 18 September 2026 the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control removed Eritrea’s ruling party, its army and four other targets from its sanctions list after the national emergency behind them expired.

The Rio Times found no US rule or sanction that changes because of the Gambia step. The signal for US readers is that Eritrea, whose party and army left the US sanctions list five weeks earlier, is adding partners through the United Nations.

What Is Not Known

The full text of the joint communiqué has not been published, only Eritrea’s summary of it. The Rio Times found no statement from The Gambia’s government and no report in Gambian outlets as of Sunday 25 October 2026.

It is not stated whether either country will open an embassy, name a non-resident ambassador or sign agreements on trade or visas. Nor does the announcement say whether the two governments had any formal contact before the signing.

The reason for the timing is not stated, and the announcement does not mention Ethiopia. The Gambia holds a presidential election on Saturday 5 December 2026, according to its Independent Electoral Commission, and no Gambian explanation of the step has been found.

The announcement gives no trade figures, aid amounts or investment plans, so no US$ value can be put on the agreement. The Rio Times found no published figures for trade between the two countries.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did Eritrea and The Gambia have diplomatic relations before?

The announcement does not say whether there was any earlier formal contact. It describes the communiqué of Friday 23 October 2026 as the step that established relations.

Who signed the Eritrea and Gambia communiqué?

Sophia Tesfamariam, Eritrea’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, signed for Eritrea. Lamin Dibba, The Gambia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, signed for The Gambia.

Does the deal change US entry rules for Eritreans or Gambians?

No change has been announced by the US government. Eritreans face a full US entry suspension and Gambians a partial one under Proclamation 10998, in force since 1 January 2026, with exceptions such as green-card holders.

Is this linked to the dispute between Eritrea and Ethiopia?

Neither government has said so, and the published text does not mention Ethiopia. Eritrea cut ties with Ethiopia on Thursday 1 October 2026, after Ethiopia closed its embassy in Asmara.

How does Eritrea usually set up diplomatic relations?

It signs a joint communiqué between ambassadors at the United Nations in New York, as it did with Dominica on Tuesday 11 May 2021 and Uzbekistan on Friday 11 July 2025. The Gambia signing follows the same route.

Sources: Eritrea Ministry of Information (Shabait), Eritrea and The Gambia establish diplomatic relations, 24 October 2026, Shabait, United Nations Day address by Foreign Minister Osman Saleh, 24 October 2026, Shabait, Eritrea and Dominica establish diplomatic relations, 12 May 2021, Shabait, Information Note Regarding Eritrea-Ethiopia Relations, 14 October 2026, Kun.uz, Uzbekistan establishes diplomatic relations with Eritrea, 11 July 2025, United Nations press office, biography of Lamin B. Dibba, The White House, Proclamation 10998, 16 December 2025, US Treasury OFAC, Recent Actions, 18 September 2026, US Treasury, press release of 12 November 2021 (describes the PFDJ as Eritrea’s ruling party), The White House, Proclamation 10949, 4 June 2025, African Union Commission, statement of 1 October 2026, Addis Insight, 1 October 2026, Al Jazeera, 1 October 2026, Independent Electoral Commission of The Gambia. All retrieved 25 October 2026. The Gambia’s foreign ministry had published no account when this article was written.

This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief